Natalie McQueen, a firefighter for Bay County Fire Services, gets sprayed in the face by her daughter Kenzie, 10, while taking a break during a 9/11 memorial stair climb at Laketowne Wharf in Panama City Beach on Saturday.

Andrew P Johnson | The News Herald

By SCOTT CARROLL | The News Herald

Published: Saturday, September 7, 2013 at 07:04 PM.

PANAMA CITY BEACH – Joey Scrivani with the South Walton Fire Department was soaked in sweat. With dozens of other firefighters from around the region, he had climbed 110 flights of stairs in more than 50 pounds of gear – helmet, boots, tools and extrication suit.

"The first couple aren't bad, but that second, third, fourth trip going up, your legs get shaky and you get kind of dizzy,” Scrivani said.

Scrivani was among 353 participants Saturday in the Panama City Beach Fire Department’s third annual Memorial Stair Climb fundraiser, which honors first responders and victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. At Laketown Wharf condominiums on South Thomas Drive, participants climbed the same number of stair flights there were in the World Trade Center Towers.

“Coming down you've got a little bit of a break and you can kind of regain your stamina and get right back at it, but I couldn't imagine being in the situation those guys were when (Sept. 11) happened,” Scrivani said.

Stair climb organizer Lt. Terry Parris of the Panama City Beach Fire Department said Saturday more than $15,500 was raised, a new high for the event. About $12,000 was collected last year. The money will be given to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, a group that develops and expands programs to honor firefighters killed on duty and assist their families and co-workers.

PANAMA CITY BEACH – Joey Scrivani with the South Walton Fire Department was soaked in sweat. With dozens of other firefighters from around the region, he had climbed 110 flights of stairs in more than 50 pounds of gear – helmet, boots, tools and extrication suit.

"The first couple aren't bad, but that second, third, fourth trip going up, your legs get shaky and you get kind of dizzy,” Scrivani said.

Scrivani was among 353 participants Saturday in the Panama City Beach Fire Department’s third annual Memorial Stair Climb fundraiser, which honors first responders and victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. At Laketown Wharf condominiums on South Thomas Drive, participants climbed the same number of stair flights there were in the World Trade Center Towers.

“Coming down you've got a little bit of a break and you can kind of regain your stamina and get right back at it, but I couldn't imagine being in the situation those guys were when (Sept. 11) happened,” Scrivani said.

Stair climb organizer Lt. Terry Parris of the Panama City Beach Fire Department said Saturday more than $15,500 was raised, a new high for the event. About $12,000 was collected last year. The money will be given to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, a group that develops and expands programs to honor firefighters killed on duty and assist their families and co-workers.

“I didn't anticipate it to be this big,” Parris said Saturday. “It really blew up this morning, and I'm just blown away by the support from our community. Bay County is awesome, is all I can say."

A priest blessed the helmets and badges of firefighters and police before the climb. Also before the climb, Parris read aloud a letter from Michael Burke, the brother of a New York City firefighter killed on Sept. 11. Burke had heard about the fundraiser and wanted to thank its participants and organizers. He also wanted climbers to remember something when their feet became heavy, legs started burning and back began aching on the stairs. It was something his brother, Billy, had said to fellow firefighters while rescuing people from a burning, crumbling, World Trade Center 11 years ago: “Keep going.”

Saturday, that’s exactly what they did.

"They're motivating each other,” Parris said of the climbers. “They're tired and they're aching, and obviously they're sweaty, but they won't quit."

Some firefighters added an extra challenge to their climb, toting forcible entry tools and wrapping fire hoses around their shoulders.

“The weight is not too bad for a little while,” said Tracey Higdon, of the Gainesville Fire Department, “but the heat builds up inside your gear and it can get pretty tough."

Most attendees completed the climb in 30-40 minutes.

“The pace was real good,” Ed Owsiany, of Panama City, said after emerging from the stairwell. “It was easy to do it without all the fire stuff. Those guys are the real impressive ones."

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